Improved animal trap



dta-tied (Staten parte l can,

WILLIAM E. COLLIER, OF, WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HOWE, BIGELOW & CO.

Letters Batent No. 99,995, dated February 15, 1870.

IMPROVED ANIMAL TRAP.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the name.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. COLLIER, of the city and county of Worcester, and Oonnnonwealth ot' Massachusetts, have invented, certain new and useful Improvements in Animal Traps; and I do hereby de-v clare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings forming part of this specification, in whichy Figure l represents an end view of my improved animal trap;

Figure 2 represents a side view of so much of an animal trap as is necessary to illustrate my invention;

Figure 3 represents a plan view of the saine; and

Figure 4 represents' a side view of the same when Athe trap is set.

To enable those skilled in the art to which myinvention belongs to make and use the saine, Iwill proceed to describe it more in detail.

' The nat-ure of my invention consists- First, in the combination with the door and cornerwires lot' an animal trap of locking devices for the purposes hereinafter set forth.

Second, in the combination with the door of an animal trap of a locking-bar, for the purposes hereinafter set forth.

Third, in the combination with the door ot' the trap of a guard-wire, as and for the purposes hereafter explained.

Fourth, in the combination with the door of the trap and the locking-bar, or other locking devices employed, ot' inclined ways, for the purposes hereafter explained.

The part marked A is the body of the trap, which may be constructed in any of the well-known modes eti makin ganimal traps.

B is the door of the trap, and is hinged at a a to the front frame-wire b.

The catch and spring devices for setting and operating the trap are arranged in the usual manner, and are therefore not shown in the drawings, and a detailed description is consequently unnecessary.

Across the front of the door B is arranged a locking-bar, C,- whichvhas its end curved backward and inward, as shown at c; the hooks thus formed pass around the ends ofthe door' B, and .around the frontl lian-1e-wire l1, whereby the bar C is retained upon the trap, but can be moved up-and down from the central sition shown in iig. 4. Aguard-wire, j, is arranged upon the door B, which extends somewhat higher than the top ol' said door, to

line ot the central side frame-wires d d, where they are Y turned back and looped, or hooked around the framewire K of the door B, so as to form inclined ways between the door B and the locking-bar C, andwhich inclined ways prevent the locking-bar from catching upon the cross-bars of the door, or upon the binding-` wire's lm m, by which the bent setting-lever D` is secured to the cross-bars of the door.

The inclined ways g g also serve the purposel of wedges between the door B and thelocking-bar O, and

thus prevent any undue play between the latter after the locking bar has descended to the position shown in figs. 1 and 2.

The body of the trap is made in'this instance of wire properly netted or secured together, Vand in box form. Itis secured to a wooden base or bottom, E, and is provided with two doors B, one at each end, each door being drawn down by a spiral spring, F, one end of which is attached to the door, and the other within the body of the trap.

The setting-levers D are made long enough to lap by each other when in position, as shown in iig. 4, whereby one setting device answers for both, and one or both doors may be set, as preferred in the latter case, both doors will be sprung at the same time.

The operation of this locking device is very simple, instantaneous and effective. The bar Gis raised to the position shown in iig. 4, and the trap set. When the trap is sprung by the animal within, and the door drawn down by the spring F, the bar C is thrown to the 'front by the guard-wire f as the doorBcloss, and is caused by its own weight to immediately drop into the position shown in figs. 1 and 2, where it is 'supported upon the side frame-wires cl, and the door B is thereby secured, so that it cannot be pushed open by any animal which may be caught. v

The locking-bar O may be combined with the sides of the frame in a somewhat different manner from that shown in the drawings, and stillanswer the purpose of locking devices, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention belongs that thelocking devices may be constructed somewhat dierently and still embrace the principle of my invention. y

Having described my improvements in animal traps, What I claim therein as new and of my invention, and desire to secure b v Letters Patent, is- 1. The combination withthe ldoorandl corner-wires of the frame of the trap of locking devices so con sti-noted and arraugedas to be conveniently raised to open the door and-set the tra-p, but which lookingr devices will descend when the trap is sprung, and look` the door to the corner-wires of the frame.

2. The combination with the door of the trap and the sides of the fralneof a. locking device which cnn `be conveniently miscd tov open the door and set the trap withoutL tipping or turning the latter over.`

3. A lockilig-han' the ends of which are hooked to 4 the. corner-wires of the frnme, and so arranged that when the door closes it will fall or descend upon the. outside thereof', and thus prevent its beingopened by the animal Within the trap.

vset, forth.,

4. The combination with the door of' lche trop of n guard-wire or wires; f, substantially as andvtor the 4purposes set forth.

5. The combination with the door of the tmp and the locking-har, or other locking devices employed, oi` inclined wnys,si1hstantia1ly as and for the purposes vF. COLLIER.

XVitnesscs Trios. H. DODGE, GEO. H. MILLER. 

